Sleepover Part 7 [finale]

OK correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the main 'yin/yang' parallel with Atsushi and Akutagawa is not something like 'this one is bad but secretly has a good side and this one is good but secretly has a bad side'.

I feel like it's more about 'who they are at their core vs who they choose to be'.

At his core Akutagawa is kind and at his core Atsushi is not. But despite this Atsushi tries every day to make the kinder choices and I love him so much for it. He has to work so hard to be good.

He wants to be a bitch SO bad I know he does but he tries his best to help people and be nice (sometimes he fails but that's OK <3)

Atsushi doesn't always WANT to help people, a lot of the time he's selfish and scared, but he does help people anyway. He keeps helping people over and over again. There's still some selfish motivation to it, and his initial motivation for helping people was because the headmaster told him that's all he was worth, but overall he does care about the people he helps and it weighs on him if he fails to save them. And of course, as the series goes on he starts helping people more because he can rather than because he feels like he needs to.

In Akutagawa's case, he's still capable of being kind but his environment led him into being someone who chooses to hurt people. But he's always been a protector at heart. In the start he was bad compared to Atsushi because he was choosing to hurt people and keep the cycle of abuse going. Just like how Atsushi developed in why he saved people, Akutagawa starts to get redeemed when he chooses to not just act on his rage. Not only does he start to spare people, but he speaks more kindly to them (apologising to Higuchi and telling Kyouka he's proud of her). It all culminates into the moment he chooses to help Atsushi and sacrifice himself for him, going back to his core value of being a protector. Even when he's finally revived, he keeps this role in his new position as Aya's Knight.

I kind of see the streaks of white in Akutagawa and the streaks of black in Atsushi not as their 'hidden sides' but as their fundamental selfs. That's who they are at their core, and their main colours (black for Akutagawa and white for Atsushi) are how they're presented to everyone else and how they try to have people see them as.

its been like that lately

"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time"

Elton John - Rocket Man

(The animatic the drawing of dazai I posted the other day is from :))

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K but Saiki himself is just a background character. Like everything is the same except someone (who doesn’t know about psychics) is the protagonist.

But like… there’s some kid in the background with some goofy hair clips and colourful sunglasses. Sometimes you’ll see them peeking around corners. They’re in like every scene it’s weird as hell. All the other characters are obsessed with them. Who is this guy?

GUYS

the top right of jax’s numberplate

and “mind altering drugs”

the spudsy sauce??

“dangerous and demanding tasks”

the adventures??

“*adult things* being prohibited”

THE CENSORSHIP??

Tsukasa's loneliness…

I've been thinking about Tsukasa's situation. How he is so tired. Tired of waiting for Amane, tired of being alone, tired of staying awake. Even after his death, he remained, he, just like Amane, he didn't go anywhere.

Death should be eternal rest, shouldn't it? But he never dies, no matter how many times he sacrifices himself, he always stays awake, alone. As a boy, he lived isolated in a house cursed with strange creatures who used him as bait, while he missed his brother.

When he returned, he had his life taken and awakened again in a dark and lonely place… the boundary. We can imagine how much he called out for his brother, even though he killed him, but his voice could never be heard, at best, considering that Amane wasn't such a bad brother.

Perhaps, while he was in that cage, he remembered those dark days…. Where he would have to once again try to free himself alone, without strength, without will, and he had already called him so much, that he was now convinced that It wouldn't make a difference, he wouldn't come for him.

Does he regret coming back? Back to Amane… Because in the end he was alone in the same way as the beginning…

Tsukasa is so tired, and now I can understand him a little. He wants to be destroyed, he wants to leave again, because there is no reason for him to stay. Hanako held him close to him in an almost eternal bond, he forced him to stay by his side even though he abandoned him. He is his yorishiro, and the only way to untie himself is to remove the seal, or destroy him…

But why didn't he just ask Nene from the beginning, when she didn't know he was a yorishiro, to take off that seal?

Because he wants to resolve things directly with Amane before leaving again. He wants Amane to do this, because it wouldn't be fair for him to go through all this and for him to simply leave without Amane even showing that he loves him…

That's just what he wants to hear.

He is no longer disappointed, he is not surprised that Amane acts in a negative way. He accepted that Amane hates him, that Amane doesn't miss him, that Amane doesn't want to be with him, that Amane doesn't listen to his voice, that Amane… won't save him.

He expected Hanako to take Nene from his arms and walk away while he fell to the deepest side of that boundary. It was what he expected of him.

Even though little Tsukasa came back, he just became more sure that Amane hated him… Tsukasa with seal asked him, in his first appearance "do you remember me?"

Hanako abandoned him.

And even so, Tsukasa was so happy to see him again, oh, what a melancholic love… To imagine that he followed his entire relationship with Nene, that he saw that every time she called for him, he heard her …

Why couldn't he hear Tsukasa's voice?

Imagine, you love someone so much that they turn their back on you, while you watch that person give their all for someone else. As if he didn't deserve to receive the same as her, not in a romantic way, but as a younger brother.

The one who spent his days trying to fulfill his brother's wishes while he was sick, the one who… left to save the one he loved, who came back to give his older brother one more chance, a chance to show how he feels in truth…

And in the end, being stabbed in the chest, yes, in the heart. How many stabs has he already received from Amane?

To be locked up and left alone for 10, 20 years… He just wants to leave again, but before that, he still intends to fulfill other people's wishes.

What will be Tsukasa's true wish…. I think only Amane can fulfill it….

The common misconception that Akane has no personality outside of Aoi is a sign of immaturity among many fans, in my opinion. This isn’t really their fault, seeing as the majority of the tbhk fandom is on the younger side, but it’s still something that should be noted

When people say this, they are talking about his hobbies. It’s true that every hobby Akane has is something he started to impress Aoi. I’m of the firm belief that he stayed on the Student Council because he enjoys it but that’s slightly up to interpretation (it could also be a way for Teru to keep an eye on him). However, in general, Akane doesn’t seem to have much going on outside of Aoi. His favorite food is something he imagines her baking for him, he joins clubs based on what type of guys she shows interest in, the books he reads all have a character that shares her name, and when she asks him what he enjoys, his response is “I like you, Aoi.” He’s even shown to zone out of conversations when Aoi isn’t mentioned. This is clearly unhealthy, though he does eventually learn to give her some distance which is beneficial to the both of them. But he still doesn’t seem to actively engage in hobbies that have nothing to do with Aoi

This is a consistent character flaw, but it does not mean Akane has no personality or character outside of Aoi. This is where the immaturity bit comes in, kids want to describe themselves entirely based on their interests. With the rise of fan culture and the internet, many adults do the same. It’s not just a young people problem, it’s an issue of how we identify ourselves. We like to put people into categories, understanding them based on their hobbies and careers. These are very important elements of identity, but they aren’t everything. A person with no job and no hobbies is still a person. They might struggle due to having no outlet for their creativity, but they are a person nonetheless

Fandoms notoriously love to understand characters based on their niche interests. Aoi is a gardener, Hanako loves the moon, Nene plays idol games, Teru has a very sad life. These are absolutely elements of their characters, but there’s more to them than their hobbies. They have personalities too, goals and passions outside of what they do in their free time

Akane puts his all into helping others, he takes his Student Council duties very seriously and keeps his hands full during every school event. He is a very empathetic character, able to understand characters like Aoi, Teru, and Nene without them having to tell him what they need. He’s competitive, as seen in his friendship with Teru. He’s romantic, as is the driving force of his character (and romance is a perfectly acceptable goal, marriage is one of the most common things for a person to strive towards in life). He’s violent and overprotective, striking down any man who makes Aoi uncomfortable. He’s emotional, prone to fits of joy, anger, and tears. He’s easily annoyed and carries a chip on his shoulder, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to help people. He hates supernaturals because of how they hurt others, and despite his stance as a School Mystery, he is so painstakingly human. He can be aggressive, especially when someone he loves is trying to do something self-destructive. He cares so deeply for people, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He’d stay up all night playing video games if it made the girl he loves happy, but he won’t attack Teru for having genuine feelings for her. He’s incredibly loyal. He’s also casually bisexual so there’s that

Idk there’s just so much more to Akane’s character than people give him credit for, I didn’t even cover everything. Remember when you’re analyzing a character, it’s important to look deeper than “they enjoy this” or “this is their job.” Akane may devote so much of his life to Aoi, but he is still his own person, whether he realizes that or not

I am begging ya’ll to stop throwing the “no character outside of Aoi” allegations at this man

Dazai: Self deprecating comment that asserts his own bias that he is not good/human and therefore his actions are to be questioned

Atsushi: Immediate empathetic response because he’s never questioned Dazai’s goodness/humanity

—

This is Dazai being surprised that Atsushi does not view him as the inhuman, removed identity that he portrayed for so long. Atsushi does not see Dazai the way himself and many others have always viewed him. Because of this, Atsushi has been able to reach Dazai in ways that nobody ever really has before.

oh would you look at that, another dead body in the children's hospital-

IM DYING LMAO

I'VE BEEN LAUGHING AT THIS FOR THE PAST 10 MINUTES LMAO

I dont loke Mori but this shit is too funny